Pubdate: Mon, 29 Mar 2004
Source: Parklander, The (CN AB)
Copyright: 2004 Hinton Parklander
Column: The AADAC Track - a column by Denni Windrim
Contact:  http://www.hintonparklander.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/782
Author: Denni Windrim
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)

UNDERSTANDING THE ADDICT AN IMPORTANT STEP FOR SOCIETY

(This column is continued from the one that appeared in the Parklander 
March 15)

The serious addict will, at some point or another, be faced with a stark 
choice: quit or die.

Non-addicts may have difficulty understanding why. Even though the choice 
is so clear, many addicts will not make the obvious one. I did not 
understand either, when my efforts and those of my siblings were unable to 
stop my father smoking, an addiction which shortly after his first hospital 
admission went on to claim his life.

What I did not realize is that addiction has nothing whatsoever to do with 
rational thought. And even though it affects us emotionally, the addictive 
drive is an even more primitive drive than that.

This is where the addict's dilemma lies (see my March 15 column). Unless 
she has already chosen death, does she seek help? Or does she, out of 
shame, out of the prospect of being rejected by family and friends, out of 
the possibility of social isolation and job loss, shut up and hope against 
hope that she is the one who can beat the odds?

The choice for an addict in Edmonton or Calgary is relatively easy, because 
addiction treatment can be had relatively anonymously. But if you're a 
crack head here in Hinton, who's to know? Just about everyone, it seems.

As Lao Tzu's memorable quote has it, "the journey of a thousand miles 
begins with a single step." It's like that with addiction. No one asks the 
newly-realized addict to dress in potato sacks and wear a sign that says "I 
am an alcoholic. " The first step in recovery is only to admit to the 
still, small voice inside that one is an addict. That's all. While it is 
possible to overcome addiction on one's own, the percentages are grossly 
against success, and the second step must be to seek help. Agencies and 
organizations set up to assist addicts in recovery are usually made up in 
large part of former addicts. There is an understanding and acceptance of 
the need for anonymity, unless and until the addict is willing to share his 
burden with others.

The medical understanding of addiction is long past the days of seeing it 
as a moral issue. No self-respecting doctor would advise his addicted 
patient to develop a backbone, or to repent and sin no more. Unfortunately, 
societal beliefs and expectations often lag decades behind what observation 
and research tell us is the real story. For the addict choosing recovery 
over the long downward spiral, the fear is, "Who will find out?" Programs 
that hope to assist addicts in recovery must take this fear into account.

Some of you reading this now are trapped in addiction. Some of you are 
addicts looking for help. You might like to begin with a call to an 
absolutely anonymous toll free number. Calling 1-866-332-2332 connects you 
to AADAC's Help Line, a low-risk entry point where real live people will 
hear you and do their best to help you without having slightest need to 
know what your name is or where you live.

- -This column will be continued in two weeks
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom